| The
main one is the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg
Park, which runs for hundreds of miles
down the eastern border of Lesotho (a small
mountainous Kingdom in the heart of South Africa).
The appealing names given to spectacular mountains
and rock formations are very enticing; Cathedral
Peak, Champagne Castle, Giant's Castle and Drakensberg
Garden.
These
secretive rocks and caves were once the home
of the San Bushmen - original inhabitants of
Southern Africa. Their simple hunter-gatherer
lifestyle was at odds with the colonisers and
dominant African tribes, and the bushman race
was all but wiped out. However, they left their
mark with art forms painted on rock, from which
we now try to decipher meanings.
The
Drakensberg Mountains are visited by nature
loves, bird watchers, families and in particular
hikers and climbers. There is something for
just about everyone who wants to soak up the
magnitude of the surroundings and the crystal
quality of the air which is cleansed by summer
storms. Thunder and lightening echo through
the infinite expanse of the Drakensberg in a
theatrical spectacle and only during this furore,
can you imagine the savage battles that were
once fought here during confrontations between
Brits, Boers and Zulus. |
